1
As teenagers we face peer pressure in many
different forms and doses on a daily basis. Mostly we experience
peer pressure in the areas concerning sex and social status.
Peer pressure really seems to be at it's worst during our secondary
school years:
How fashion conscious you are can somehow decide how many friends
you have and who they are. Young people who are simply 'different'
or 'unique' in their fashion sense are usually labelled 'weird'
this happens between the 11-18 years of our lives. As a peer
trainer I've been involved in having to communicate with a variety
of teenagers, all ages, class, colour styles and sizes. I've
noticed that the teens who dress alike, speak alike, and definitely
hang around together. These always seem to be the popular kids
and come in small clusters. Unaware, you feel peer pressure from
your surroundings and environment, to look and behave like these
popular kids. You then get into a situation where you feel you
have to be like them to be popular too, this might help you to
be socially accepted and avoid any bullying of any type. There
are some teens who develop their own identity, and don't mind
being different, sometime this individuality leads to bullying,
and there may only be a few friends. Sometimes they are much
brighter than these so called 'popular' groups or they may be
a lot more slower in learning. There are also many teens who
are individuals and are respected for it, they are popular and
everyone admires them for their individuality. I'm one of these
teens, I'm not dyslexic or gay, but I do dress differently to
most girls my age and certainly act differently. People are also
thrown by the fact that I'm a dedicated Christian, and have chosen
to live by a set of moral standards outlined in the Bible and
by Jesus Christ. No one has ever bullied me for it, because they
admire me for being PROUD TO BE ME! I still have lots of fun
and lots of guys like me, but sometimes it doesn't feel like
it because I'm not like the other girls. It's weird because I
think they're intrigued because I am so different, "Strange
can be wildly attractive too!!!"
That's just a word of encouragement to you all. You'll suffer
peer pressure from your surroundings to become sexually active
when everybody else does. Admittedly boys suffer from this the
most, as they find it slightly harder to branch off and be an
individual - certainly in my school 90% of the guys walk, talk
and dress the same!! I say Don't do anything you don't want to
girls, you're virginity is Gods divine gift to you so never ever
loose it to pleas anybody or satisfy anyones expectations.
You may also experience peer pressure to start smoking because
your friends do. At the end of the day it's your personal decision,
but the fact is, is that it's very bad for your health. You shouldn't
do anything to please people around you, and you shouldn't be
scared to say what you really think and say 'No' and mean it,
you also shouldn't have to explain why you don't want to do anything.
Don't get me wrong!, we all need to live by a certain level of
respect for each other, so we can all live together on this earth.
Don't be disrespectful unnecessarily , but be firm and assertive
at all times. Sometimes it's hard to find an equal balance, but
all you can do is try your best. As we mature we realise that
our best and true friends only want what's good for us and won't
encourage us to do damaging things to our health, mind, body
or soul.
As a last note, I would just like to tell you, you are a divine creation. No one on this universe is quite like you! Your teen years is where your character is developed most and has lasting effects on your later years in life. SO HAVE FUN BEING YOU!
Please email to let me know if this has been helpful in any way! God Bless!
KAMI
2
A peer group is a group of people of similar age and status with whom a person mixes socially. Generally people try to gain acceptance among their peers by conforming to the expected behaviour of their peer group.
Among male peer groups, interests and behaviours often centre on activities such as football, music cars and computers. Female interests often centre on things such as fashion, make up and dancing. However peer groups can exert strong pressures on us to conform to those interests: a boy for example who decided to take up needlework may in turn be ridiculed by his peers; a girl who played football might be identified as a tomboy. Such pressures can aid in the decisions we make about indulging in particular activities which don't conform to those stereotypes. This is what we call peer pressure.
During the course of our lives we are all
encouraged or pressured to do something, but it gets to the point
where you don't think for yourself and are excessively passive.
It is then that you need to step back from the situation and
reflect on what's going on. If your friends are pressurising
you to smoke or drink, etc, you need to think seriously about
whether these are the types of people you want to associate yourself
with. Although it's easier said than done, you need to make individual
decisions on what will be best for you in the long run, as your
'friends' might not always be there for you, particularly if
you get into trouble.
If they are the type of friends that don't let you have a mind
of your own, ridicule you or dump you if you don't conform to
their code of conduct they are really not worth having
Eji
Tell me what you think about peer pressure!